I put my hands to my head. That question seemed to roll inside my brain endlessly. How do you fight a being so powerful, so impossibly evil? Just by being good? I could almost hear Lucifer's mocking laughter in my head at the thought.
The hall door opened and Jerry jumped to his feet. He strode to the living room and low voices kept me from hearing what he said. Then there was a crash.
I jumped up and wrapped one of the blankets around me. I staggered to the doorway and saw Rafe, his fist bleeding as he pulled it from a hole in the Sheetrock next to the hall door. He looked at me with bleak eyes.
"I thought . . ." I took a shaky breath.
"That we'd got into it again?" Rafe glanced at Jerry. "No, we have a common enemy now." He had a sheen of tears in his eyes as he walked toward me. "Damn me, but I'd have done anything to spare you this."
"I know, Rafe. Please don't blame yourself." I fell into his arms but kept my eyes on Jerry, sending him a message, thanking him. "Shit happens. Am I right?"
"Not this kind of shit." He said it into my wet hair and I felt a shudder go through him. "I will carry this guilt with me for the rest of my life."
I saw Jerry nod, as if this was right and proper. I couldn't get into that. Who understood the workings of hell or demons? But I knew now why Jerry had called a man he would rather I never touched again. I eased out of Rafe's arms.
"Give me some credit here. I actually stopped that creep from crossing the finish line and I bet all of hell has a nice lavender scent now. If they weren't afraid of getting sent down to test the latest torture device, the demons would probably be laughing it up at Luc's expense."
"Not much laughter down there, Glory. And you can't fool me." Rafe didn't crack a smile. "You're reeling. He invaded your privacy. Not crossing the finish line is a technicality. Blade and I figure the asshole's gone way too far. Way too far. This is war, baby, and we'll do whatever it takes to see that something like this never happens again."
"Now, Rafe, don't make me worry about you. Calm down. Let me get dressed. I need to call Simon and get moving on our plan. I've been stalling. Maybe we need more information." I managed a smile for both of them, though I was sure it was a poor effort. "Rafe, you must know something about Lucifer and the workings of that world. As Jerry would say, we need to know the enemy to defeat it."
"Exactly." Jerry stared at the hole in the Sheetrock. "Need to get someone to repair the wall. Gloriana's supposed to have company tomorrow night, Penny's parents." He glanced at me. "Unless you plan to cancel."
"No, got to do that." I sighed. "Business as usual. I can't let Lucifer think he got to me. And-" I looked down at the hardwood floor. "If you're listening, asshole, you're pathetic, needing to sneak up on women who don't want you." I shook my head, tears coming and not wanting the guys to see them. "Forget it. Taunting him is probably stupid. Am I right, Rafe?"
"Afraid so, Glo." He glanced at Jerry. "Go, blow your hair dry. Do something to make yourself look pretty. We can wait."
"Yeah, I'll do that." I smiled at Jerry, meaning it this time. "Good call, Jer. I like seeing you two work together." I gestured toward a black-and-white photo of Ray that hung in my shrine to him near my CD player. I'd set it up long before I'd met him, a total fangirl. Since it bugged Jerry and Rafe, it had stayed. "Move that over and cover up the hole while I'm getting dressed. It'll do for now." I staggered off to my room.
Once there I shut the door, then collapsed on the foot of the bed and just stared at my reflection. Yep, still had it. I was tempted to throw something at it and shatter the mirror. Anything that reminded me of hell right now left a bitter taste in my mouth. But Glory St. Clair is a survivor. And if I moped around, cried bitter tears or railed against fate, it would only please Lucifer and make him think he'd won points in some kind of sick game.
So I got up and attacked my drying hair. When I was made up and dressed in jeans and a loose black tee, I walked back out to join the men. They jumped up, both of them with the light of battle in their eyes.
"Any conclusions?" I walked over and got another bottle of synthetic out of the fridge. I needed something to get me pumped up. Sure I was a survivor, but that didn't mean I still wasn't an inch away from crawling back into bed, pulling the covers over my head and staying there, permanently.
"Like you say, we need more information. I want to know about Lucifer's powers. How hell is set up." Jerry patted the seat next to him on the couch.
"The demons told you it's like intramural sports down there. With each of the gods and goddesses of the Underworld having their own turf. That Lucifer has his section and there's this competition going?" Rafe had pulled out a beer and took a swig. "They made it sound like it's all in fun, everything even Steven. But, trust me, Lucifer is actually the big boss. The head of the whole shooting match. His power is off the charts."
"Surely he has a vulnerability." Jerry's arm tightened around me.
Rafe shook his head. "Don't know of one. And of course cheating's expected, even applauded."
"I bet rules mean nothing in hell." I wondered how on earth you fought against an enemy like that. Especially one who thought anyone with honor was weak and stupid.
"They mean nothing in hell, but, when the demons are here on earth, they do have a few rules they have to abide by. The man upstairs takes exception to some of their dirty tricks. They aren't allowed to bug a good person indefinitely and I have a feeling they're about to wear out their welcome with you, Glory. God's bound to take notice and put the hammer down." Rafe met my gaze. "Not sure how much control He has over Lucifer, but what really blows my mind here, Glory, is that Lucifer's even bothered taking a personal interest in you." His mouth twisted in a bitter smile. "Sorry, sweet thing, but you're absolutely a tiny blip on his radar."
"Sure, I can see that. He'd usually be all about immoral dictators or instigating horrible things like genocide or a famine. Focusing on the big picture." I snuggled up to Jerry and wished for a blanket. I felt chilled as I thought of all the evil in the world. Jer read my thoughts and grabbed a throw from a basket next the couch and draped it over my lap.
"Seems like time might be on our side then," Jerry said.
Rafe set his bottle on my magazine. "From what Blade told me, Glory, you pretty well let Lucifer have it tonight. I doubt he'll bother you again."
"I can hope. Seems like his male ego wouldn't stand for him making another try. He did seem pretty disgusted with me." I held the throw around me. "But maybe his male ego doesn't let a rejection stand without payback either."
"Like I said, you're not that important. Let's just concentrate on getting this deal with Simon done." Rafe picked up his beer again. "Call him. See if he'll agree to meet."
"In a minute." I frowned at him. "Got to say, Rafael, you need a twelve-step program for anger management. Forget hitting the wall. The worst was using your demonic powers just because you had a disappointment. Look at the serious fallout it's caused." I shook my finger at him. "You really don't want this to happen again, do you?"
Jerry choked out a laugh. "You're right, Gloriana. Sign him up. I saw the list you left for me on the coffee table." He actually gave Rafe a sympathetic look, man to man. "Our girl is big on twelve-step programs. Next thing you know you'll be going to meetings in church basements."
"Don't mock. That kind of program got me through a terrible time." I still didn't use a credit card. Had a debit card and that was it. "Now be quiet while I make this call." I hit speed dial for Simon. Yes, I had his number programmed. Don't ask.
"Gloriana. How interesting to hear from you. What could you want?" Simon's deep voice really didn't go with his usual weasel face.
"To talk. Freddy told me you aren't allowed to have a female Energy Vampire. And I was all primed."
"Really?" Simon cleared his throat. "Doubt it. Rumor has it you lost any special abilities when you lost your demon visitor. Bet you didn't think I knew about that, did you?"
"Nothing you know surprises me, Simon." I frowned though. Did Simon still have video cameras hidden in my shop somewhere? I hated the way he sneaked around. "But seems like Honoria really enjoys pulling your chain."
"It's the price I pay for power." Simon chuckled. "Nothing for you to worry about."
"But it's costing you your son. How does that feel?" I waited as silence stretched. "Freddy's pretty torn up about it. He moved to Texas to get to know his father, but he just can't deal with the whole Energy Vampire thing. Bet that was a major disappointment to you."
"What is this? A therapy session?" Simon's voice hardened. "I don't need it."
"Don't hang up. I get that you probably can't talk out there. Not about this. But I may be able to help you shake loose of you-know-who. I have some connections. Because of my recent demonic possession. Meet me in my shop and we can discuss things. If you really want to see Freddy again." I said this in a rush, pretty sure Simon had been close to ending the connection.
"When?"
I did a gut check. "Tuesday night. Back room of my shop. Nine o'clock. Can you make it?"